Bill in Missouri would revoke scholarships from college athletes who refuse to play

One month after members of the University of Missouri football team said that then–President Tim Wolfe wasn't taking action regarding racist incidents on campus and they wouldn't play until he stepped down, a Republican member of the Missouri House of Representatives has proposed a bill that would take scholarships away from college athletes who refuse to play for non-medical issues.

The pre-filed bill states that any "college athlete who calls, incites, supports or participates in any strike or concerted refusal to play a schedule game shall have his or her scholarship revoked." It also says "any member of a coaching staff who encourages or enables a college athlete to engage in behavior" banned under the bill "shall be fined by his or her institution of employment." The sponsor, Rick Brattin, wants the bill to be enacted by August 2016, before the next school year begins, The Guardian reports.

The University of Missouri players had the support of their coach, Gary Pinkel, who said the students were worried about Jonathan Butler, a graduate student who went on a hunger strike to protest Wolfe's inaction. The Guardian reports that at the time, Pinkel said he believed he "did the right thing and I would do it again." Wolfe stepped down after the football team threatened to strike.

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